


Promises

by alafaye



Category: Firefly
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-27
Updated: 2014-06-27
Packaged: 2018-02-06 11:21:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1856224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alafaye/pseuds/alafaye
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She'll take him, mistakes and all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Promises

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Round 2 of cottoncandy_bingo and the prompt 'making up'. My card is [here](http://alafaye.dreamwidth.org/168471.html).

Simon grunted when he hit the wall outside the engine room. "And don't you think about staying in my room tonight! Not until you figure out what you just did!" Kaylee yelled.

Mal chuckled, walking toward him. "Boy, you really do suck at this, don't you?"

Simon narrowed his eyes. "And I suppose that your room is never used anymore?"

Mal's face turned into a glare and continued into the engine room. "Kaylee! I hope you don't have a list of parts we need!"

Simon didn't stay to hear the answer. Walking back to the medical room, he found Zoey in the kitchen. She smiled at him. "Hey, doc. Heard you got in trouble again."

He took a deep breath and looked behind him. "I always seem to."

She pointed to the seat across from hers at the table. "You know, you and Kaylee seem to argue a lot if you're not in bed."

"I...have thought about that," he muttered, sitting. "I like her, I really do. She's smart and pretty."

Zoey hummed. "And?"

He blinked. "What?"

"Well, so, she's smart and pretty," Zoey said. "And we all know you like spending time with her, but honestly, Simon, what do you want to come from this relationship?"

Any answer that he might've had stuttered to a halt. He had asked himself that exact question. He wasn't sure what he had to offer anyone, besides his medical skills and who wanted to make a life with someone whose only skills were healing? He wasn't very brave or a good shot and he still didn't like the idea of being a smuggler and a thief. He could settle down in one of the colonies, but he still had a bounty on his head and River, while she was getting better, still needed looking after. And he was sure that Kaylee deserved more than settling down in some backwater world (the only world where he could be only a bit sure of not being found by the Federation).

But...

"I want to wake up next to her every morning," he began softly. "She's really pretty in the morning. And I like making her laugh. I don't know how, but I want to give her a good life."

Zoey smiled. "Is it worth every misstep you take? Every wrong word?"

He swallowed hard and spread his hands, helpless. "If she'll have it all."

She chuckled. "We're landing on Equestor soon. Might want to think about finding her a small thing to tell her that."

~~~

Later, he was bandaging a cut on his thigh. Kaylee watched, standing next to him, holding more gauze ready. River watched from the other bed. "I told you not to go in there."

He sighed. "I know."

"Well, who knew that someone was going to pick today to rob the town?" Kaylee said nervously. "Not like we could've known that."

"But if he had just listened to me when I told him that the robbers were in there with guns," River sing songed.

Simon taped the bandage down. "I'll endeavor to listen in the future, River."

She chuckled. "Yeah, right."

He smirked and started cleaning up. Kaylee helped, fluttering around. "What I don't understand is why you went into that shop. I mean, not like any of us need jewelry, right?"

Simon caught River's eye and she stuck her tongue at him. When he motioned for the door, she rolled her eyes and left. He cleared his throat and pulled out the small, simple band he'd managed to get. It wasn't expensive--it had been the cheapest thing in the shop--but it was made of a local stone that glittered in the light. 

Kaylee nodded to herself, putting away the last bit of tape. "That's that. I think Mal mentioned something about a group dinner tonight."

"Ah, Kaylee, one thing first?" he asked. He pulled her over to the bed. "Sit, here. I--well, I'm sorry about earlier. I'm still not sure what I said wrong, but I am sorry that I said it, whatever it was."

She shrugged. "Do you know, I've forgotten what it was, too. Not a big deal, I suppose."

"I do that a lot, I know," he continued.

"Simon," she said, putting her hands on his arms. "It's fine. We've always had a bit of a communication problem, huh? I knew that before we started having sex."

"So, then, if our relationship is a lot of that--"

"Relationship?"

He blinked. "Sorry, are not on the same page?"

She blushed. "I just wasn't sure if you thought of us that way."

"Right then," he said. He took one of her hands in his and put the ring on her palm. "I don't know what we're going to be a year from now, but I like you Kaylee and I want to spend the next year with you. I'm not...promising more than that, right now, but I just thought you should know."

Her gasp was enough of an answer, but she looked up at him and her smile made him warm all over. "Thank you, Simon. I'd like to spend the next year and maybe more with you."

He chuckled. "Good. Good. I--yeah."

She shook her head and bent his head to kiss him.


End file.
